Improvement in game-boards



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST HERZG, OF GUTTENBERG, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAME-BOARDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 166,776, dated August17, 1875; application filed July 12, 1815.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AUGUST HERZOG, ofGuttenberg, Hudson county, New Jersey,

have invented an Improved Game-Box, ot'v is to be used as a receptaclefor the pieces employed in various games, such as the games ot' chess,checkers, cards, and others, and which will also contain the necessaryboards or diagrams required in such games, and a writing-surface to keepthe requisite account of the standing of each player.

My invention consists of the peculiar construction and arrangement ofbox hereinafter more-fully described.

In the drawing, the letter A represents onehalt', and the letter B theother halt, ot' my improved box. These two halves or receptacles arejoined by hinges a, a, so that they can be folded together, as in Fig.4, or unfolded, as in Fig. 1. C and D are the covers for the halves Aand B of the box, respectively, each,v

cover being hinged by a flexible band or otherwise to the edge: ot' thatside b ot' each halt'- box that receives the hinges rt, as shown. Whenthe box is opened the covers C D constitute, in connection with theintervening y edges 0 b, one continuous surface, which may be subdividedor marked to constitute the game-board. Thus it is in the drawing shownas constituting a chess-board. The folding game-board C D and the coveris kept in line on the opened box, and properly closed on the closed boxby catches d d, which are indicated in the drawing, and4 each coverserves thus to `in the halt' B of the box.

confine within its half of the box the figures or pieces which the sameis designed to contain. The halt' A ot the box is shown to be divided bytixed 'partitions c c, which are indicated by dotted lines in Fig. linto three compartments, of which one may contain playing-cards, anotherchess-meu, the third a sponge for cleaning the marking-slate. But thedivision into compartments may be varied, and separate boxes may beplaced within the halt' A, or there may be no partitions at all inone orboth halves ot' the box. The half B of the box is shown to be dividedinto two equal parts by a partition, j', each part receiving a box thatcontains pieces used in various games, or there may be more or less suchsubdivisions The upper edge of the partition f is grooved to constitutea slatepencil receptacle, g; but such receptacle may be formed withinthe half B or A of the box in other equivalent manner. The back h ot'each half ot' the' box is made ot' slate, or covered on the outside witha composition that will render it a writingtablet. The whole box, whenclosed, can be locked -by a suitable catch or clasp, c'.

The advantages ot' this box are, chiey, that it will constitute agame-board, and at the same time a receptacle for other games that arenot used on such game-board; and, secondly, that it also constitutes awritingtablet and a receptacle for writing material to be used in gamesot' cards, and at other games that can be played while the box isclosed.

I claim as my invention- The box consisting of two hinged receptacles,AB, provided with the interior hinged covers G D, forming a gaine-board,substantially as herein shown and described.

AUGUST HERZOG.

Witnesses:

E. OARLEToN WEBB, F. V. BEIEsEN.

